Ouai is a personal care brand that’s famous for their shampoo. The brand sells a variety of shampoos, from detox shampoo to anti-dandruff shampoo to dry shampoo, and all are priced at a premium of over $30 per bottle.
But does Ouai shampoo contain ingredients proven to enhance hair quality? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is Ouai shampoo better or worse than popular shampoo brands like Kristin Ess Shampoo?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of the most popular Ouai shampoos (Detox Shampoo and Dry Shampoo) to give our take on whether or not they’re likely to be effective for improving hair quality, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also compare Ouai Shampoo to other popular shampoo brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- We're unimpressed by Ouai shampoo formulations
- Ouai contains some inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Ouai shampoo
Ingredient Analysis – Detox Shampoo
The ingredients in Ouai Detox Shampoo are shown below:
There are a few active ingredients in this formulation that we consider to be effective.
Hydrolyzed keratin was shown in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science to increase hair volume and repair hair damage.
Glycerin was shown in a 2014 clinical trial to improve skin moisture content, reduce dandruff and improve skin barrier function.
There are a large number of ingredients in this formulation that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
Red 4, Yellow 5 and Green 5 are artificial dyes, and as we documented in our Luseta Shampoo reviews article on another cosmetic product that contains artificial dye, clinical evidence suggests that artificial dyes can absorb through the skin and may be toxic to human health.
Fragrance is also included in Ouai Detox Shampoo, and a 2016 medical review that examined the health effects of fragranced consumer products concluded that this ingredient “can impose serious risks to human health, environmental quality, businesses, and society.”
Benzophenone-4 is typically used as an active ingredient in sunscreens, which makes it a strange choice for a shampoo.
A 2018 clinical trial describes this ingredient as damaging to natural ecosystems.
Chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol are synthetic preservatives, and both were shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Potassium sorbate is an additional preservative, and linalool and citronellol are additional fragrance ingredients.
Overall, we consider Ouai Detox Shampoo somewhat likely to improve hair quality due to the fact that it contains keratin and glycerin, however we don’t currently recommend this product due to all of the questionable additives highlighted in this section.
We also find it questionable that this product is marketed as a “Detox” shampoo while containing at least a few ingredients shown to be toxic to human cells in clinical trials.
Ingredient Analysis – Dry Shampoo
The ingredients in Ouai Super Dry Shampoo are shown below:
Panthenol may be an effective scalp moisturizer according to a medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science.
This is the only potentially effective ingredient we can identify in Ouai’s dry shampoo.
There are a number of questionable additive ingredients.
Fragrance, citronellol and linalool were discussed in the previous section.
Benzyl salicylate is a fragrance ingredient that was categorized as a health hazard by a Japanese regulatory agency, as we documented in our Nexxus Shampoo review article.
Cetrimonium chloride is another synthetic preservative, and geraniol is another fragrance ingredient.
Overall, we do not consider Ouai Dry Shampoo likely to improve hair quality, because we’re unable to identify a single active ingredient directly shown to do so in clinical studies, and the brand fails to provide any proof of efficacy on their product page.
We do consider this formulation to be healthier than Ouai Detox Shampoo because it’s free of artificial dyes and the two synthetic preservatives shown to be toxic to human cells in a clinical trial.
Ouai Shampoo vs. Popular Shampoo Brands
Here's how Ouai shampoo compares to other popular shampoo brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
K18
Contains a synthetic preservative which was categorized as a "hazard class 2" by a Japanese regulatory agency (source).
We don't consider either brand to be impressive in regard to potential efficacy, but we find Ouai's formulations to be (slightly) healthier.
Winner: Ouai Shampoo
Redken Shampoo
Contains a fragrance ingredient which is clinically shown to be harmful to lung tissue, as we documented in our Redken All Soft Shampoo review article.
Ouai's formulations are safer/healthier.
Winner: Ouai Shampoo
Kristin Ess Shampoo
Contains some inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, but fewer than the number in Ouai Shampoo.
Winner: Kristin Ess Shampoo
Our Clean Hair Care Picks
Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick.
It contains argan oil which is clinically shown to help protect hair from damage.
Ritual HyaCera is our top hair growth supplement.
This supplement contains wheat oil extract, and a 2024 clinical trial reported that a wheat lipid complex had "a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth."
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Ouai Shampoo Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Aesthetic packaging/branding
- Contains at least one research-backed active ingredient
- Positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Contains fragrance
- Contains additional fragrance ingredients
- Contains synthetic preservatives
- Unimpressive active ingredients in our opinion
- Detox Shampoo contains synthetic dyes
- Brand charges for shipping
- Doesn’t appear to be clinically tested
- Expensive
